APP commits to end deforestation!

Today was a
day I have at times feared might never come, but I’ve just emerged from a
packed press conference in Jakarta for the launch of Asia Pulp & Paper’s
new ‘Forest Conservation Policy’ aimed to end its involvement in deforestation.

I’ve personally
invested, along with many of my colleagues, endless hours into our campaign to
persuade APP to make this step. After a great deal of blood, toil, sweat and
tears, today the company did just that – announcing an immediate moratorium on
further forest clearance and a range of measures to stop its role in
deforestation.

We could not have got to this point without many of you, around the
world, who helped to persuade dozens of well-known brands to suspend contracts
with APP.

The decisions by these companies led to more pressure being applied on
APP. This sent the message to the company that simply spending more on PR
efforts was not going to change its reputation or bring back lost customers.

Other NGOs working on both environmental and social issues have also
played a critical role in bringing about this important change, through their own
campaigns both here in Indonesia and abroad.

Following the recent meetings we've had with APP, actually seeing the company’s new commitments being announced publicly
makes me breathe a little more easily today. But this really is just the
beginning of change for a company that has heavily relied on deforestation for
too long.

We will be watching very carefully to ensure that APP is delivering
where it really matters – on the ground, in the rainforests. Our advice to
former customers of APP reflects that: policy commitments will not be enough –
it's only through their delivery that APP can start to win back the business
that it has lost in recent years.

In the last few days there have been two questions that have dominated
most of my discussions around these commitments – why now and what is different
this time?

Why now? It’s clear that the commercial pressures and reputational
impact of losing major customers around the world is very important. The commitments introduced by APP's
sister company Golden Agri Resources (GAR) are almost certainly a factor too. When GAR
started to implement strong no deforestation commitments, the company started
to win back its customers and mend its own damaged reputation.

But there is another factor that we need to keep in mind and it’s one
that means that we need to keep today’s decision in perspective.

The reality is that APP has already cleared the majority of forests in
its supply chain to make way for plantations. A lot of forest has been lost for
that expansion, tens of thousands of hectares per year in recent years.

So while I am hopeful that things are changing at APP and am happy about
what this could mean in future for Indonesia’s rainforests, we cannot forget
that these are changes that ought to have come many years ago.

So what’s different this time?

The
chairman of the company spoke at today’s event and endorsed the new company
policies, which is an important distinction from previous commitments. The
company is also working with several external organisations, including The Forest
Trust and Asia Pacific Consulting. And critically, the
commitments include an immediate commitment to suspend all forest clearance
across its supply chain.

However, It
all boils down to APP demonstrating that it can turn policy into practice. The
company knows it has an awful lot of work to do to demonstrate that things are truly
different now.

No one is
under any illusion that making commitments is going to be enough. APP will need
some time and space to show that its new policies are being implemented.

We very
much hope that the company will use this time to also work with other
stakeholders to find solutions which both protect forests for the long term and
which can help resolve social conflicts.

Greenpeace
has, for now, taken the decision to suspend its campaign against APP. We will
be reviewing progress by the company and reviewing this decision at regular
intervals.

If APP achieves
its goal of no deforestation, it’ll be a really significant milestone for our
campaign to save Indonesia’s forests. It sends an important challenge to others
in the pulp industry who we have written to today.

I am
cautiously optimistic about today’s announcement and these changes at APP –
they are critical if we are to succeed in ending deforestation in Indonesia and
beyond.

Bustar Maitar is Head
of Greenpeace's Forest Campaign in Indonesia

Protect the rainforest. Support Life

Help continue our campaign to protect the world's forests from destruction by becoming a Greenpeace Life Supporter.

Donate £7 a month or more and we'll send you a unique print of the forests you'll be protecting.

It's really nice there are so many organisaction which are coming forward to protect the animails and think about there future. These things are going to give us a good future and people will come to travel here and see the beauty of the nature.